


To fix what is broken

by Fearless_leaderr



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, Fix-It of Sorts, Following Cody's injury in S7: E1, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, mention of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24655843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearless_leaderr/pseuds/Fearless_leaderr
Summary: He doesn’t know how long he slept for, but before he even opens his eyes he knows something has changed. He sits up straight and blinks awake- gaze instantly meeting his Commanders. He is confused by this, and it takes a moment for his brain to catch up- the Bacta tank is gone and Cody is lying propped up on a bed, chest bandaged heavily, and a serious look of contemplation fixed on his face. He looks like he's been sitting like that for a while.Obi-Wan is delighted at this development. “Commander, how are you feeling?”
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 261





	To fix what is broken

The consistent failure to neutralise the threat on Anaxes was wearing everyone down. Obi-Wan knew how frustrating it was for the droids to time and time again dismantle the 501st’s carefully and meticulously planned out attacks. More often than not he could feel the irritation leak through his and Anakin’s (recently strained) bond and could see the weariness set itself heavily in Mace’s frown. He himself had tried to provide some assistance in this constant and never-ending seize, but the war was stretching them all thin, and assigning three generals to the same mission wasn’t viable. 

This is perhaps why it was no surprise to him when Cody approached to ask for temporary leave from his current position to lead a small squad behind enemy lines. The Clone Commander cared deeply for his brother, and Obi-Wan knew their failure to end this fight was beginning to get to Rex; it had only been a matter of time before Cody stepped in.

( _“This is unsettlingly him deeply, Sir. He even came to the conclusion that Echo is somehow alive. I know we’re busy but with you being based on the Negotiator for the next couple of days, my men would be able to operate without me being present.”_

_“Cody, you do not have to justify yourself to me. If it means this much to you then I give my permission.”_

_“Thank you, Sir.”_

_“Obi-Wan is fine when we’re not on shift, Commander.”_

_A pause. “Thank you, Obi-Wan.”_ )

The target of the mission was to collect battlefield intel from the cyber centre (the brains of the separatist campaign), in the hopes to discover how the droid army was countering their attacks so well. Cody had proposed himself and the Captain - along with Kix and Jesse- join Clone Force 99, who could perhaps provide more specialised expertise that would help complete the assignment faster. In theory, all of this sounded like a well thought out plan, but Obi-Wan couldn’t help but feel like something was about to go terribly wrong. His commander had left early into rotation on the day of the operation (he had to debrief Anakin and Mace, as well as his squad before they shipped out), and Obi-Wan remembers feeling a sudden wave of apprehension as the door closes on the clone commanders retreating back. He stares at where the man exited for a long second, fingers curling into his sleeve. It takes longer than usual for him to shake this feeling and he straightens his fidgeting hands, taking a second to breathe in an attempt to push his feelings of trepidation into the force. It works, but only vaguely. 

The rest of the day begins to blur as it usually does- filled with a slew of paperwork and briefings and the creation of battle plans. However, despite his attempt to keep himself busy and occupied, Obi-Wan's mind keeps wandering back to how his Commander's mission was going. He knew the nature of their task required complete radio silence, but the lack of any feedback being looped back was beginning to make him feel uneasy. Halfway through the day he gives up with his datapad and mediates instead, attempting to clear his head of any negative emotions so he can adequately complete his work without his judgement being clouded. It is during this meditation session he receives a comm from Kix which says three small words that make him go instantly cold: Cody is down. 

He’s up and out the door before he even realises, making his way down to Medbay. The message didn’t give him a lot of information, but this is what he could understand from it- Kix and Cody at the very least had to be on an extraction ship for the medic to even have risked sending him a message. This was promising- it meant that his commander would have access to medical supplies and bacta. Rationally, Obi-Wan knows that that is one of the best positions an injured man can be in- safe within a ship and with one of the best medics in the whole Grand Army. The very irrational and un-Jedi like part of himself however is fraught with nerves. He knows Cody, and he knows that the clone would not have left that mission unless he literally did not have a choice. This doesn’t bode well for the state of his injury and for a moment Obi-Wan wishes he had acted on his foreboding nerves earlier on. 

He is pacing the length of the sterile Medbay when they come in. Instantly his head snaps up and he watches as his Commander is wheeled in on a bed. Cody looks terrible, for lack of better words. His skin is pale and looks clammy to the touch, and his face is slack with unconsciousness. A quick scan of his body doesn’t reveal any obvious injuries so Obi-Wan assumes the injuries must be of an internal nature, what with the wheezing of his breathing- Kix soon confirms this.

“Sir. The bloody clankers saw us coming and shot down the ship. The Commander got trapped under the main panel boards, and Wrecker had to lift the whole bloody tin can off him to get him out.”

“He’ll be okay though, won’t he Kix?” Obi-Wan asks, unable to tear his eyes away.

The medic seems to consider him for a long moment before looking back at his patient. “He’ll be okay. There is some internal bleeding and he’s going to need to get submerged in a tank, which I’m sure he’ll love. But you know Cody, the bastard is too stubborn to die.”

Obi-Wan nods at this and he steps aside, allowing the staff to transfer Cody from the bed into the bacta tank. He stands there, perfectly still in the corner of the room as the medics take note of the clone’s vitals every twenty minutes. He is still standing there when Kix reappears hours later, dragging a chair behind him and grumpily muttering under his breath. 

( _“Sit,” the medic growls lowly, practically pushing him into the seat._

_“Really Kix, I’m alright-“ he tries, only to get levelled by an unimpressed stare._

_He sits, and there is a long moment of silence between them._

_“So, how long are you and Cody going to pretend that you are just a simple General and Commander. Are one of you’s going to have to die before anyone makes a move?”_

_“…Excuse me?”_ )

He sits vigil at the other man's bedside, poorly attempting to meditate his rapidly deteriorating resolve. This war had being going on for so long and had already cost him so much (his relationship with Anakin is frayed, Ahsoka is gone and Satine is dead). In fact, as he looks at the floating body of his dear commander, he doesn’t know how much more he can take. He sighs heavily and puts his head in his hands, swallowing the growing lump in his throat. As a Jedi, it is forbidden to have attachment. Yet, the more he ponders on this, he wonders if attachment is the thing they should be fearing. Expelling feelings seems to cause nothing but misery (for Anakin, for Ahsoka, for himself.) Expelling his feelings is what had him shutting out all the people closest to him as he faked his own death. He knew, deep down that it was the wrong call to make, but he had such an intense sense of duty he had eventually agreed with the council and went ahead with the plan as usual. He wishes he had made a different call when his mission was finally finished (when Anakin can’t stand to look at him; when Ahsoka touches his sleeve as if she has just seen a ghost; when Cody greets him in the brig but his spine in ramrod straight and he doesn’t meet his eyes). He thinks about this for a long time, long enough his eyes begin to burn and soon finds himself falling asleep; the beeping of Cody’s heart monitor a reassurance that the man is still there. Still alive. Still with him 

He doesn’t know how long he slept for, but before he even opens his eyes he knows something has changed. He sits up straight and blinks awake- gaze instantly meeting his Commanders. He is confused by this, and it takes a moment for his brain to catch up- the Bacta tank is gone and Cody is lying propped up on a bed, chest bandaged heavily, and a serious look of contemplation fixed on his face. He looks like he's been sitting like that for a while.

Obi-Wan is delighted at this development. “Commander, how are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better, honestly,” Cody answers, his voice a low rasp. The clone’s hands fiddle with a frayed edge of the blanket, which is so unlike his usual stoicism that Obi-Wan frowns.

“Do you need anything? Water? Kix? I can go get Kix.” He makes to stand, intend on finding the Medic when he is stopped by a hand pulling his wrist. He looks down at the limb and then towards his commander, frowning. “Cody?”

Cody shakes his head. “Wait. I don’t need Kix.”

The Jedi isn't convinced. He reaches out to do...something; he doesn't quite know what, exactly. Perhaps he was meaning to check the other mans temperature, or make sure his pulse his steady and clear (what he _was actually_ going to do was smooth out the commanders hair, which is mussed in a way that makes the normally imperturbable solider look young.) He drops his hand awkwardly after the aborted movement and is about to blurt out something about getting a medic when Cody cuts his fussing off again.

“Don’t you have more important things to be doing than wasting time watching a clone sleep?”

Obi-Wan's reply is instant: “Nothing in this universe is of higher importance.”

“Oh.”

It takes a moment for Obi-Wan to realise the enormity of what he just said, and he instantly feels breathless, like he had fallen from a great height or jumped into cold water. He was normally well versed with silence- as the negotiator he often found silence to be a powerful weapon: even the greatest will would crack under the need to say something. For once he fell victim to this and the silence felt like it was choking him. He scrambled to try and take back control of this quickly spiralling conversation. “I’m sorry, that was extremely unprofessional of me. As my commander, I value your health and well-being of course, so I felt like as your commanding officer it was my duty to…”

“Obi-Wan, stop,” Cody says, cutting him off.

Obi-Wan instantly listens to the command and his mouth snaps shut, his expression still slightly pained. He waits for the commander to speak again.

“You can say you care, you know. I would do the same.”

It is Obi-Wans turn to be rendered speechless, and he echoes what Cody had replied with earlier. “Oh.”

The pace of the conversation is almost giving him whiplash and he feels like something pivotal has changed between them; like they had both stepped over a boundary which has previously been so carefully guarded. Obi-Wan considers, for a moment- trying to regain control of the situation and redirecting it to carefully guided professionalism before he comes to the conclusion he simply doesn’t want to.

“Cody, I will admit, I am not good at this,” he begins, taking a deep breath before simply speaking without guard.

“I’ve already discredited you- you and the rest of the 212th with my… deception due to the nature of the Hardeen mission. I have failed Anakin so many times as of late I am not even sure where to atone. I have failed my grand-padawan, simply by being complacent. I knew Ahsoka was innocent and yet I said nothing; in doing so I am no better than those who framed her. I couldn’t even kill Maul when I should have, and he has taken yet another person from me. What kind of Jedi am I if I cannot even ensure one Sith stays dead? You are the only good thing I have left and I am terrified of losing that.” 

The confession rips from him and he sinks against the weight of it, hands coming up to hide his face in an attempt to at least shield some of his vulnerability. The room is so silent its almost deafening, and Obi-Wan can feel an apology bubble in his chest. Perhaps that was too much. Perhaps this is not what Cody was getting at all. He opens his mouth to speak again when suddenly cold fingers are tugging his hands away. He blinks at the sudden change of lighting.

“Look,” Cody begins, speaking with more confidence than is written on his face. “I’m not going to pretend that everything that happened during the Hardeen mission was okay. As a commander, I understand the nature of stealth missions, but as **_your_** commander thinking you were dead and attending your funeral was one of the worst experiences of my life as of yet, and if you ever pull a stunt like that again I will be requesting a new general. I am not even kidding.”

Obi-Wan feels his heart clench painfully.” I am sorry, Cody,” he whispered, fingers tightening around his commanders. “More than I could even begin to put into words.”

Cody signs then and squeezes his hand back. “I know. And I know all seems lost with General Skywalker right now, but he loves you. He always has and he always will. Perhaps if you are the one to reach out to him and try and fix whatever you feel is broken, he would appreciate that. As for General Tano, you know she would do the same.”

Obi-Wan feels tentative warmth spread across his chest at the words, beginning to feel hesitantly optimistic. “Do you think so?” he asks, feeling fragile hope settle in his heart. 

“Yeah,” Cody begins, voice full of conviction. “I really do.”

“And what about you?” Obi-Wan asks then, the question falling out of his mouth. He feels like despite his inability to not carry the faults of the world on his shoulders, he knows the answer to this question. He needs to ask anyway.

“What about me?”

“Can we fix what I broke?” he questions, and what he means is: _Can you forgive me? Can you trust me fully again? Do you know that I would do anything for you? Do you know that I cannot be true to the code as long as you are alive because I already failed to give up on my attachment the moment I met you? Do you know?_ He cannot say any of this yet. Instead, he drops his gaze to his lap and sighs heavily. “Can we?”

There is another extended silence, but whilst the others were nerve-wracking and almost suffocating in nature, this was filled with a tender sort of stillness. Obi-Wan feels his chin being pushed up by cold fingers and he jerks his head up to catch the other's gaze. The intensity of the stare he finds makes his cheeks burn and his stomach swoops in a way he hasn’t felt since he was a young knight. 

_**Love** , he realises. It is as earth-shattering as the first time he felt it. And yet, it has never felt so right. _

Obi-Wan used to believe that falling in love was very real but would shake his head when people talked about the idea of soul mates. They were poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal not intended for mortals but sounded pretty in a poetry book. Then, when he met Cody, everything changed: the cynic has become the converted and the sceptic became an ardent zealot. He still believed in the order, but it took and took whilst he gave and gave, and he was losing what he had to show for his sacrifices.

As he sat beside his commander in that medbay, the end of the Clone Wars beginning to come into sight, he thought that perhaps it was time to focus on what truly mattered to him.

“I think we can work on it, yes,” is Cody’s answer, and they both smile at each other softly, with all the affection of two new and curious lovers who are about to embark on a life of memories with each other. 

  
\---

An hour later, Kix walks into the medbay to find his brother and his General asleep, Obi-Wan’s head resting on his arms on the bed beside Cody’s. Both of their hands were clasped together tightly, like they were terrified that if they let go, even for a second, one of them would disappear . Both have a little content smiles on their face that makes the medic ache to comm Jesse (the other clone was still on Anaxes- so would need to remain radio silent). Instead, he distracts himself by checking Cody’s vitals, updating his patient padd, and stepping back to observe the scene again. 

“Karking finally,” he says to no one, shaking his head fondly as he continues with his round. 

**Author's Note:**

> And then Obi-Wan and Anakin communicated and they both stopped Palp together. Order 66 never happened and Obi-Wan and Cody got Luke and Leia every Thursday night for uncle duties. 
> 
> The end.


End file.
